TRP: Roddy and Durin (Heroes)
Setting During The Dwarven Ruins Pt. 2. While Mormiir, Larkin and Goro heroically went deeper into the ruins... Creepy undead fungus? Not Roddy's thing. Nope nope nope. None of the other things involved in this adventure was Roddy's things either. So he'd loudly announced he'd be staying behind, marched over to a bunch of dwarves, and asked them if they wanted music lessons. They seemed a little taken aback, but Rodger Hammerstein the Third would not be deterred! You know, that might sound better with a 'sir' in front of it... Anyway- there was Roddy, plucking at his lute, and trying to encourage some wary undead dwarves to sing. Not a situation he ever expected himself to end up in. Player 1: Half of them were pretty goddamn into it. There were only seven dwarves left here, and six were happy to roar and sing along. Honestly, it was pretty intimidating. Undead dwarven paladins roaring fighting songs. Commandar Durin Stonewall didn't join in, though. He stood at the exit of the safe area, looking down onto the lava pit. The safe area was a high building. From the top, where Durin stood, he could see the lava lake, and could see the surface-dwellers. One of them-- the tiefling (male? female? uncertain)-- swung from one pillar to another, setting dynamite at each base to create a bridge. Clever. Player 2: Hey who knew Dwarves could actually be cool! A bit tone deaf- or a lot tone deaf- but they made up for it with enthusiasm! Or- made it worse with enthusiasm. Really it depended on your point of view. But even six roaring undead dwarf paladins couldn't completely drown out the sound of an explosion. Roddy jumped, his lute flying out of his hands and clattering on the ground. "What was that!?- no I know what that was. Larkin I bet. Hope he didn't blow herself up..." Maybe he ought to go check. Grabbing the lute, Roddy trotted over to where Durin was. "Did any of my friends manage to kill themselves?" Player 1: "No," Durin says shortly. "They are fine without you." The large turtle goes a little quiet after that, and Durin winces, realizing he is being unkind. He doesn't quite grasp this surface-dweller. His actions don't make sense. "I do not understand what you are doing here," Durin says. "You came with to help your friends and protect them. Yes? Then why stay behind?" Player 2: Roddy stews a little at Durin's comment. Fine without him. Well- okay- good. They should be able to manage. He's still useful though. Right? "Oh. Well. I- ah-" Roddy idly picks at his lute strings- it was a little out of tune now. Probably because he dropped it. For a moment he fiddled with it, trying to re-tune it while thinking over Durin's query. "...Mostly I don't want to die," he finally admitted. "And this seems more danger than any of us were expecting. I'm not an adventurer, I just work with them." Player 1: Durin's face softens. It's still a gray-skinned undead face with smoldering gold eyes, but... it's a little softer, somehow. "Would you prefer to be a civilian, then?" Durin says. "Perhaps you are not a soldier, then." Player 2: "I am a civilian," Roddy corrected. "I just- got myself in some trouble. Ripley- our boss- bailed me out. But in exchange, I joined the guild." Roddy shrugged, it was what it was, he was getting used to the adventuring- and getting better too. Something about fighting for his life made it a lot easier to pick up new skills. "Between risking my life and getting sold into slavery- well, I guess I've already made that choice." Player 1: "You are a civilian," Durin says, bemused. "Then go sit at home and be safe, then." Player 2: Roddy shoots Durin an irritated look. Hadn't he just explained this? "I avoided getting sold into slavery by joining the guild. If I quit then that's where I'll end up. I could skip town- but I don't really have anywhere else to go. So until a better option presents itself- I'll keep working for the guild and avoiding anything unreasonably dangerous." Player 1: "You said before," Durin says shortly. "That you are afraid of being harmed. That is rational, my large turtle friend. Fear is a rational response to danger. But... in situations like these, if you run from danger, it puts others at risk. Courage isn't being fearless, Rodger Hammerstein the Third. Courage is feeling fear and facing it anyway. If you risk your life to help save many others--" He stops, frustrated. "I do not understand," he finally says. "If you let fear stop you from protecting others, then they suffer." Player 2: Roddy is quiet. For a short time, the only sound is the soft plinks as he tugs at the lute strings. "Well- I can always make new friends," he says quietly. Sure, he'd miss Goro's- whatever-it-was he liked about Goro. Larkin was all right too. Mormiir though. He wouldn't miss that guy. Player 1: "Say you are protecting a child, and you run away," Durin says. "And then the child dies. Is your life worth more than theirs? Why?" Player 2: "Oh well- it's not so much a question of worth so much as ability. In this hypothetical situation, I had the ability to save myself. The kid didn't. It's sad, yes but what can you do?" Roddy shrugged. "See- working with the party generally increases my ability to stay alive- and if I contribute my talents that also increases their chance at staying alive. It's mutually beneficial!" Player 1: "That is a pity," Durin says. And goes completely silent. "What would change your mind?" he says. "What would make you see protecting others is worthwhile?" Player 2: Pity? What was that supposed to mean? In fact what was any of that supposed to mean? Roddy stared blankly at Durin. "Well- I mean- it's a noble goal, and I suppose I might do some protecting if I'm not unreasonably risking my own hide?" Even then Roddy wasn't sure and it sounded in his voice. "OH!" Roddy snapped his claws, the answer having popped in his mind. "See, I'm just not a good enough person to be a protector!" Player 1: "No," Durin says. "You are not." Player 2: Roddy nodded, satisfied that they were now on the same page. "Do you mind if I wait here with you for my friends to get back?" Player 1: "No," Durin says. "You are a civilian. You may wait here for the heroes to return." END Category:Text Roleplay